“This is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah had God's approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time. He walked with God.”Genesis 6:9 (GW)
You can't fit in with culture and fit in with God's plan for your life.
Genesis 6:9 says, “This is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah had God's approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time. He walked with God” (GW).
Noah did something significant with his life despite his culture—not because of it. He knew the culture’s temptation to distract him from God's purpose for his life.
Our world is living for fun, comfort, and entertainment. You can't live for those things and live for God. You can’t judge your success by your possessions, pleasure, or profit. You can't focus on pleasing people and doing what God has called you to do with your life.
In Noah's day, humans had hit bottom morally. Genesis 6:11-12 says, “The world was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence . . . all people on earth lived evil lives” (GW).
God saw how broken the world had become, with people turning more and more toward evil. It broke God’s heart. But even then, Noah stood out.
When God made the earth, he said it was good, but it didn’t stay that way. Sound familiar? Our culture today is moving toward incivility, much like it did in Noah’s day.
The one bright spot in Genesis 6 was Noah. Verse 8 says God was pleased with Noah, which means Noah was different. All of culture was headed in the wrong direction, but Noah was moving toward righteousness as he followed God. He was living counterculturally.
It's not important to be on the right side of a trend. What’s important is doing what is right. If you're going to be all that God created you to be and fulfill the purpose he created you for, then you must be willing to be different.
Do you want to make a difference in this world? Do you want to make a difference in your family, in your community, in your school, or in your business? Noah fulfilled his destiny by ignoring cultural distractions and refusing to follow the crowd.
You can only make a difference by being different.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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